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Deployment & Distribution

How to package, distribute, and update the launcher for your players.

Packaging for Players

Required Files

These files must be present in the player's RF Online client directory:

RF Online Client/
|-- RFLauncher.exe                          # Launcher binary
|-- RFLauncher.sig                          # Integrity signature
|-- dinput8.dll                             # CrespoGuard Client DLL required by current launcher builds
|-- CrespoGuard.ico                         # Application icon
|-- RF_Online.bin                           # Game executable (already present)
|-- d3d9.dll                                # Server/protection DLL if your RF client already requires it; do not replace blindly
|-- System/
    |-- Launcher/
        |-- Config/
        |   |-- config.bin                  # Encrypted configuration
        |-- fonts/
        |   |-- Rajdhani-Regular.ttf
        |   |-- Rajdhani-Bold.ttf
        |   |-- Orbitron-Variable.ttf
        |-- Language/
        |   |-- en.json
        |   |-- en_gb.json
        |   |-- ru_ru.json                  # English fallback/template unless translated
        |-- Music/
        |   |-- (optional .mp3)
        |-- logo.png
        |-- background.png

Files NOT to Distribute

These are generated locally per-player and should NOT be included in your distribution:

File Reason
modules.json Plaintext config — client builds refuse to load it
System\Launcher\accounts.json Player's saved credentials (DPAPI encrypted)
RFLauncher.log Debug log
System\Launcher\cg_settings.ini Per-session launcher-to-game settings
System\DefaultSet.tmp Per-session encrypted game token
__cg_session\ Clean room temporary files
RFLauncher.exe.new Staged self-update executable
System\Launcher\pending_updates.txt Signed local metadata for staged replacements
*.pcap Optional diagnostic packet capture

Diagnostic Logging

Normal player builds redact login packet payloads and credential encoding parameters from RFLauncher.log. They do not create decrypted PCAP files.

Operators can build a diagnostic launcher with -DCG_ENABLE_PACKET_CAPTURE=ON. That build writes decrypted CGRD frames to PCAP and can expose credentials. Use it in a controlled test client, then remove the capture files and replace the diagnostic launcher before distribution.

Packaging Steps

  1. Start with a clean RF Online 2.2.3.2 client directory
  2. Copy all CrespoGuard files (see Required Files above)
  3. Verify config.bin is present and was encrypted from your final modules.json
  4. Test the launcher connects to your server
  5. Create a ZIP/RAR archive or use your preferred distribution method

Distribution Methods

Method 1: Full Client Package

Bundle the entire RF Online client + CrespoGuard files as a single download.

Pros: Players get everything in one download, no manual file copying Cons: Large download size (~2-4GB), must be updated for any game file change

Distribute CrespoGuard files separately as a "patch" that players apply to their existing client.

Pros: Small download (~5-10MB), easy to update Cons: Players need an existing 2.2.3.2 client first

Structure your patch as:

CrespoGuard-Patch/
├── README.txt              # "Copy all files to your RF Online folder"
├── RFLauncher.exe
├── RFLauncher.sig
├── CrespoGuard.ico
├── dinput8.dll
└── System/
    └── Launcher/
        └── (all launcher assets)

Method 3: Auto-Update (Paid Tiers / If Enabled)

Use the built-in auto-updater only when your package/tier enables patch-server updates. Community packages should default to manual patch distribution unless CrespoGuard explicitly enables auto-update for that customer.

  1. Host a patch server (any HTTPS file server)
  2. Generate filelist.txt manifest using the admin tool
  3. Configure UpdateServers in modules.json
  4. Re-encrypt config.bin
  5. Players get updates automatically on launcher start

See Auto-Update Setup below.

Auto-Update Setup

Prerequisites

  • A CrespoGuard package/tier with auto-update enabled
  • An HTTPS web server (nginx, Apache, S3, Cloudflare R2, etc.)
  • The admin build of RFLauncher.exe (for manifest generation)

Step 1: Create Patch Directory

Create a directory on your web server with all files players need:

patches.yourserver.com/
|-- filelist.txt            # Generated manifest
|-- RFLauncher.exe
|-- RFLauncher.sig
|-- dinput8.dll
|-- System/
    |-- Launcher/
        |-- (all assets)

Step 2: Generate Manifest

From the patch directory:

& "path\to\admin\RFLauncher.exe" --generate-filelist

This creates filelist.txt with SHA-256 hashes and file sizes. The format is path|SHA256|file_size_bytes:

# CrespoGuard Patch Manifest v2
# Format: path|SHA256|size
RFLauncher.exe|9f64a747e1b97f131fabb6b447296c9b6f0201e79fb3c5356e6c77e89b6a806a|985600
dinput8.dll|55a3f6d8b9f91d38fdbe60ad4d7b8f61b7f7321f0db58d0d472a6f84c47d1c8f|34816
System/Launcher/Config/config.bin|43c80f2c0a7cc4ec5d29c4b7899e0b39f7e0ab61dd90937d4f4f0f037f1f5a9f|2048
# HMAC: 64_hex_characters

Player builds require a valid UpdateSigningKey and a matching HMAC signature. The admin tool reads the key from modules.json when it generates the manifest. An unsigned manifest can be created by admin tooling, but a player build rejects it.

Step 3: Configure modules.json

{
  "UpdateServers": [
    {
      "UpdateServerName": "Primary",
      "Link": "https://patches.yourserver.com/"
    }
  ],
  "FeatureFlags": {
    "EnableAutoUpdate": true,
    "UpdateSigningKey": "REPLACE_WITH_64_HEX_CHARACTERS"
  }
}

Step 4: Re-encrypt and Upload

After changing modules.json:

  1. Re-encrypt: RFLauncher.exe --encrypt-config
  2. Upload the new config.bin to your patch server
  3. Regenerate filelist.txt
  4. Upload everything

Update Flow

When a player launches:

1. Launcher loads generation `0x02` config.bin
2. Fetches filelist.txt over HTTPS
3. Verifies the manifest HMAC
4. Compares SHA-256 hashes and file sizes
5. Downloads and verifies changed files
6. Continues to the login screen

Launcher Self-Update

The updater downloads RFLauncher.exe as RFLauncher.exe.new and verifies its SHA-256 hash against the signed manifest. It also records the expected hash and size in System\Launcher\pending_updates.txt and signs that file with UpdateSigningKey.

On the next start, the launcher verifies the pending-list HMAC, file size, and SHA-256 hash while holding the staged executable open without write sharing. It renames that verified file handle into place, preventing a path swap between verification and replacement. Invalid staged files are discarded by handle.

Updating Your Deployment

Config Changes Only

If you change branding, theme, or settings:

  1. Edit modules.json
  2. Re-encrypt: RFLauncher.exe --encrypt-config
  3. For manual packages, publish a new patch zip containing the updated config.bin
  4. If auto-update is enabled, upload the new config.bin and regenerate filelist.txt

Binary Updates

When CrespoGuard releases a new launcher version:

  1. Replace RFLauncher.exe in your patch folder
  2. Replace dinput8.dll
  3. Regenerate config.bin with the config tool paired with that launcher
  4. Confirm the config header is 43 47 43 42 02 02
  5. Re-sign: RFLauncher.exe --sign-launcher path\to\RFLauncher.exe
  6. Regenerate the HMAC-signed filelist.txt
  7. Upload the complete launcher/config pair

Emergency Rollback

Keep previous versions of RFLauncher.exe and config.bin. To rollback:

  1. Replace the files on your patch server with the previous versions
  2. Regenerate filelist.txt
  3. Manual packages should be republished; auto-update packages roll back on next launcher start

Rollback RFLauncher.exe and config.bin as a tested pair. Current release packages use format 0x02, key generation 0x02; player launchers reject format 0x02 configs that use key generation 0x01.

Version Management

Use StatusBarText in the Branding config to track versions:

{
  "Branding": {
    "StatusBarText": "My Server Launcher v1.2.0"
  }
}

Update this with each release so players can verify they're running the latest version.

Release Checklist

  • [ ] Update StatusBarText version in modules.json
  • [ ] Re-encrypt config.bin with the config tool paired to the player launcher
  • [ ] Confirm config header 43 47 43 42 02 02
  • [ ] Test launcher connects to server
  • [ ] Test game launch succeeds with dinput8.dll present
  • [ ] Publish manual patch package, or upload to patch server if auto-update is enabled
  • [ ] Regenerate the HMAC-signed filelist.txt if auto-update is enabled
  • [ ] Verify the selected update path with a clean client
  • [ ] Announce update to players (Discord, website, etc.)

Troubleshooting

Issue Cause Fix
Auto-update stuck at 0% Patch server unreachable Check URL, SSL cert, firewall
"Config not found" after update config.bin not on patch server Upload config.bin, update filelist
"Config not found or invalid" after binary update Legacy or mismatched config generation Regenerate with the paired config tool and confirm 43 47 43 42 02 02
Auto-update reports missing signing key or invalid manifest Empty, malformed, or mismatched UpdateSigningKey Generate a 64-character hex key, rebuild config.bin, and regenerate filelist.txt
Staged launcher update is discarded Missing or invalid signed pending metadata Publish the launcher through the signed manifest flow; do not copy RFLauncher.exe.new by hand
Players see old version filelist.txt not regenerated Re-run --generate-filelist and upload
Game launch blocked with missing anti-cheat module dinput8.dll not in game root Ensure it is in the same folder as RF_Online.bin
"FG cannot be enabled" error d3d9.dll was replaced Restore the original protected d3d9.dll from your server files
Launcher crashes on start Corrupted config.bin Re-encrypt from modules.json
Self-integrity check fails RFLauncher.sig outdated Re-sign with --sign-launcher